Watchdog Report Says N.S.A. Program Is Illegal and Should End — WASHINGTON — An independent federal privacy watchdog has concluded that the National Security Agency's program to collect bulk phone call records has provided only “minimal” benefits in counterterrorism efforts, is illegal and should be shut down.

Mark Herring explains gay marriage shift — New Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring says his decision to challenge his state's ban on gay marriage, rather than defend it on behalf of the state, is part of an evolution in his views on the subject. — Herring announced his decision to side …

Virginia to fight same-sex marriage ban — Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring will announce Thursday that he believes the state's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional and that Virginia will join two same-sex couples in asking a federal court to strike it down …

Schumer seeks to poison Tea Party — Sen. Charles Schumer (N.Y.), the Senate Democrats' political guru, has a plan to poison the Tea Party by driving a wedge between its rich funders and its blue-collar rank and file. — Schumer, one of the Democrats' most influential strategists …

Biggest Liberal ‘Super PAC’ to Fund Possible Clinton Bid — The largest liberal “super PAC” in the country has begun raising money to elect Hillary Rodham Clinton president, formally aligning itself with Mrs. Clinton's undeclared presidential ambitions more than two years away from the election.

CNN lays off more than 40 journalists — CNN has laid off more than 40 senior journalists in its newsgathering operation - including a pregnant producer who was two weeks away from giving birth to twins - as part of a reorganisation of the business under Jeff Zucker.

Guns Make Voting Even Harder — If you want to feel truly dispirited about the health of U.S. democracy, skip the stories about Chris Christie and Bob McDonnell and go straight to today's report on the American voting experience. — The report, by a presidentially appointed commission …

Obama State of the Union to focus on income inequality — President Obama will try to pump some vitality into a lackluster second term on Tuesday when he delivers his State of the Union address. — The address will include a “healthy dose” of the income inequality message the White House …

Leaning Right in Hollywood, Under a Lens — LOS ANGELES — In a famously left-leaning Hollywood, where Democratic fund-raisers fill the social calendar, Friends of Abe stands out as a conservative group that bucks the prevailing political winds. — A collection of perhaps 1,500 right-leaning players …

Security Check Firm Said to Have Defrauded U.S. — The company that conducted a background investigation on the contractor Edward J. Snowden fraudulently signed off on hundreds of thousands of incomplete security checks in recent years, the Justice Department said Wednesday.

Hoboken Mayor Is Said to Have Told of Threat — Federal authorities in New Jersey have interviewed several witnesses who said the mayor of Hoboken told them in May about a state official's threat to withhold hurricane recovery funds if the mayor did not support a development project favored by the governor …

Upward Mobility Has Not Declined, Study Says — The odds of moving up — or down — the income ladder in the United States have not changed appreciably in the last 20 years, according to a large new academic study that contradicts politicians in both parties who have claimed that income mobility is falling.

In U.S., Uninsured Rate Shows Initial Decline in 2014 — Uninsured rate drops most among the unemployed and nonwhites — WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. uninsured rate is 16.1% so far in January, modestly down from 17.3% in December after the Affordable Care Act's requirement for Americans …

Pope: Internet Is a ‘Gift From God’ for Dialogue — The Internet is a “gift from God” that facilitates communication, Pope Francis said in a statement released Thursday, but he warns that the obsessive desire to stay connected can actually isolate people from their friends and family.

The Fiscal Reality and its Politics — Ever since the election of 1992, fiscal conservatives in both parties—and in third parties—have tried to make the federal deficit a central political and economic issue. In a series of articles and books beginning in 1982, the billionaire investor …

Oakland Raiders sued by Raiderettes cheerleaders — The Raiders' rough season continues. Wednesday, they were sued by their cheerleading squad. — The suit, filed in Alameda County Superior Court on behalf of current and former Raiderettes, claims that the NFL team engaged in wage theft and other unfair employment practices.